Welcome to Parenthood Optimus Prime
by LGTracy
Summary: Bayverse - Sequel to Children of Megatron.  For the first time in his life, Optimus longs for the simplicity of primehood when he experiences the dark side of parenthood.


_**Disclaimer:**__ Transformers owned by Hasbro and whoever they sell the rights to. OC's Dr. Monique Thompson and Ellie are the property of the author. Unauthorized/un-credited use of the oc's is strictly forbidden, (i.e. if you want to use them, ask first and give credit where it's due.) No infringement is implied or intended. No financial gain has been received._

**A/N:**_ This takes place just after Children of Megatron. Dr. (Monique) Thompson is a child psychologist/family therapist hired by Optimus to aid him and the Autobots with Ellie's new status as his daughter, and try to get her emotionally/mentally on track after her experience. As always, please let me know how I can make it better. Tracy_

Welcome to Parenthood, Optimus Prime

"You can't make me!" Ellie yelled as she stomped through the foyer on her way to the stairs.

"Oh yes I can young lady," Optimus stated to her retreating back. "You are my daughter and I will do what I think is right."

"It's already done, so no you can't!"

"They aren't healed yet. I most certainly can."

"Then I'll run away from you too!"

"No you will not.

"Consider yourself grounded for the next two weeks," Optimus ordered.

"Might as well make it a lifetime! You banned the only friend I have!"

"I will not have my daughter poking herself full of holes at the instigation of another."

"You don't know anything!

"Next time I'll get a tattoo! Right across my butt, what would you say to that?" she taunted as she reached the top of the stairs and headed for her room.

"You will do no such thing!

"Do not slam . . ." he began to order, ". . . the door!" he finished as the echo of the door slamming rang through the house.

Distinctly from the other side of the door, he heard the muffled shout; "I HATE you!"

Optimus was angry when he heard that. Before he could process the repercussions, he bounded up the stairs and brutally opened her bedroom door.

"Would you care to repeat that?" he asked coolly.

"Why bother? You'll just believe what you want anyway," she muttered into the pillow she hugged to her chest as a shield.

"What is the meaning of that statement? What do I believe that is incorrect about this situation?"

"Does it matter? You already know what happened just by looking at me, it's not like you needed to ask me first."

Optimus processed the statement. He replayed her jumping into his cab and excitedly telling him all about the day she had with her new friend. She told him about a beautiful pair of earrings she just had to buy when he reminded her she didn't have her ears pierced. That was when she informed him that was one of the things they had done that day. It was there that the argument started.

He remembered concluding her new friend must have encouraged her to have the procedure done so she could wear her new earrings. In his estimation, it was a logical conclusion, therefore, the logical action was to sever her relationship with the destructive influence.

"Now that I am no longer reacting to my conclusions, please tell me what mistakes I made in reaching them?" he asked of her as he entered the room and gently shut the door.

"It doesn't matter. You'll believe what you want to no matter what I say," she repeated moodily into the pillow. "Just go away," she said as she walked over to sit in the window seat.

"I am not going anywhere until we discuss this. What mistakes have I made in reaching my conclusions?" he repeated as he walked over to sit down at the foot of her bed. It sighed dangerously, but held his weight.

"First of all, Jessica was late, so I got my ears pierced before she even showed up," she angrily informed him. "Now go away!" she yelled again as she threw the pillow at him.

He allowed the projectile to bounce off his chest plates harmlessly as he watched his daughter with a breaking spark as she turned her back to him and looked out the window again. His scans indicated she was desperately attempting to hold back tears. He hated the idea he was causing her pain, but he truly believed he was doing what was best for her.

He sighed through his vents in frustration; this parenting stuff was so hard. It was much easier to be a prime in the middle of a war; if he told his mechs to do something, they did it without questions, mostly. He mused at that, he had a little slice of normal in that he was now a parent, and he was longing for the simpler aspects of being a war leader.

"Very well," he began, "now that I know it was an erroneous assumption of Jessica's involvement, you may resume your relationship with her . . . AFTER your grounding has ended.

"Since you also confessed it was solely your idea for this self-modification, and you threw your pillow at me, I'm adding a week to your punishment.

"You will aid Grapple with his work in the lair city."

"Grapple? But he hates me!" she interrupted.

Optimus ignored the outburst as he continued. "When you are not helping him, you will be confined to your room. The only computer access you will be permitted will be supervised by either myself or Ratchet so that your studies are not affected. No phone access as well."

He watched as she sulked in the seat a few more minutes, then sighed as he levered himself up. He knew she wasn't going to answer him. If nothing else, he knew his daughter was just as stubborn as he could be.

"Dinner will be brought up to you.

"No matter how angry you are at me right now, don't ever forget that I love you sparkette," he said as he walked out the door, hastily throwing up an internet block around her room.

He gently closed her door behind him as he sent out a brief com to his mechs about Urielle's status, and separate ones to Grapple and Ratchet about their new duties for the next three weeks. It simply wouldn't do if one of them innocently aided her in defying his punishment. Most of them liked her, so he knew it was entirely possible it could happen.

Optimus left the door to the library open as he went over to sit at his desk. He really should be getting to the reports Prowl and their human allies had sent him this morning, but found he couldn't muster the processor power to focus on them. Instead, he held his head in his hands and tried to make some sense of the painful interaction between him and his little girl. Why was this starting to happen now? In his estimation, their relationship was growing stronger every day, so why would it start to devolve like this? Why did she have to be so illogical in some things? What did he do that warranted such a hurtful reaction? She had said she hated him, HATED him! How could she hate him when he loved her so deeply?

The sound of high heels on the stone flooring alerted him of Dr. Thompson's entrance.

"You heard the argument," he stated without looking up.

"Yes. Just wanted to say congratulations," she affirmed cheerily.

He looked up and stared at her incredulously. "Congratulations? But, she said she hates me! I had to PUNISH her today for her actions. So, why would you be congratulating me for this?"

"Sugar," she drawled, "that's being the parent of a teenager. You have to understand that this is the time when human offspring are trying out their own personalities. They are caught between trying to grow up and still be considered children.

"The fact that she actually said she hates you really has me pleased," she continued. She ignored Optimus open mouthed gaping as she continued. "You see, she would only tell you she hated you if she was confident in your love of her."

"That makes no sense," he tried to say.

"That's the logic of teenagers, which means it is totally illogical," she soothed.

"You see, she feels safe enough to say she hates you because she knows you will never really hate her. Truth is, she also knows you know she will never really hate you. So, it is just a way of her to blow off steam."

"So, she said she hates me because she is just frustrated with her current social and developmental status?"

"In a sense, plus the fact you didn't let her take as big a step into adulthood as she thinks she's ready for.

"Make any sort of sense?"

"Not really. But I can see this is going to be a long detour around logic for quite a while."

"Hope you like roller coasters," she chuckled as she walked back out the door to rush to her date. "This one is going to be a doozie!"

Optimus ran a quick search on 'roller coaster' on the internet and chuckled to himself when he found the definition. Yes, that was certainly what this was starting to feel like.

"What's so funny?" Ratchet asked as he caught his laugh.

"The term 'roller coaster' as it refers to my current familial situation with Urielle," he confessed.

Ratchet paused for a moment as he ran his own search. "I can see your point," he agreed.

"So, what did Ellie do to get punished for the next three weeks?"

"She allowed herself to be modified," he huffed in displeasure.

"What?"

"She allowed a technique called 'piercing' to be done to her audials."

"Where was she able to have this done?" Ratchet demanded.

"At the local mall. I do not know the details about where. I was too upset about the fact she had it done to ask."

"For the most part, those places do practice adequate hygiene. Since Livewire is on duty at the base, I will go check her for infection and keep an optic out for it. Will you allow her to keep the piercings or do you want me to heal them?"

"If they get infected, heal them. If they do not, allow her to keep them. She already threatened to get a tattoo on her aft if I forced her to remove them."

Ratchet chuckled at that. "She's clever and stubborn enough to do it too.

"Just relax Optimus. You're doing fine. My research has indicated some friction is normal at this stage in her development. You are a great father," he encouraged as he left to check on his patient.

"Then why do I feel like slag dregs?" he muttered aloud. Yes, he thought to himself. Being a father was the most difficult role he had ever accepted. He just hoped he didn't mess up too terribly.


End file.
